Contextual Cues in Japanese Internment Photographs
by Matt Stoiber
In photographs of Japanese internment, Japanese American adults are often seen smiling, while children have more varied expressions. This essay examines why this discrepancy exists, and identifies context as a major factor in causing the differences between adult and child reactions. The essay proceeds by first examining a photograph of the removal process when Japanese Americans were moved to internment camps. This photograph, which highlights the differences between adult and child reactions, is examined in the context of Jasmine Alinder’s Moving Images. The analysis suggests that the prevalence of happy expressions among adult internees is due in large part to their conscious decision to smile, which is motivated by their preservation of their dignity and image as non-criminals. Next, two pairs of photographs are examined with the question of how context influences child expressions in mind. Special attention is given to whether adults are present in the photographs or if children are alone. The presence or absence of adults, especially adult family members, as well as other children has a large influence on the expressions of children. This is likely due to a sense of familiarity and safety that parents and peer children offer. The varied expressions could also be partly influenced by the identity of the photographer, as government photographers may make children feel uncomfortable, especially when they are not surrounded by familiar faces. To learn more about how different photographers influence the expressions in internment photos, see Ashley's page. Altogether, context greatly influences the expressions of Japanese American child internees. The sense of familiarity brought by adult family members and other children translates into more positive expressions, which suggests that children took cues from their context when reacting to photographs. Thinking more broadly, then, children may not have understood the experience of internment to a great extent, so they likely looked to adults to see how they should react. If adults were aware of their influence on children, then they have a reason to smile even when they are unhappy.